France to Open World's First Gay Mosque

Muhammad Ludovic Lütfi Zahed wants men and women to feel safe when they pray.

BY Diane Anderson-Minshall

November 26 2012 2:40 PM ET

Qiyam al-Din (left) and Mohammed Ludovic Lütfi Zahed are still making waves in France

According to the Jerusalem Post, a gay French-Algerian man, Muhammad Ludovic Lütfi Zahed, is planning to open the first gay mosque in France at the end of this month. A Turkish newspaper, Hurriyet, repoted that the mosque will not have the gender exclusions that other mosques do.

“In normal mosques, women have to sit in the back seats and wear a headscarf and gay men are afraid of both verbal and physical aggression," Zahed told reporters. "After performing the Hajj, I realized that a mosque for gays was a must for gay Muslims who want to perform their prayers.” The new mosque, says Zahed, will not segregate women and women even during prayers.

Zahed's marriage to Qiyam al-Din earlier this year was reportedly approved by an imam and made national headlines after they married (legally) in South Africa but France refused to acknowledge it.